The Garden of Life
After spending two decades raising children, Ramblin’ Rose has added vegetables to the mix. In both cases the miracle of God’s design is almost unbelievable. To start with something so small and helpless and witness it’s transformation into something beautiful and productive is amazing.
Of course in each case there is potential for pitfalls along the way. Children and gardens both require unending concern and supervision in order to reach their potential. Some may say that children will find their own way. Well, miracles do occur, just as you may occasionally find a large beautiful rosebush or a bountiful strawberry patch in the wild. But, in general, plants and children left to their own devices will not reach their full potential.
Obviously both children and gardens need regular nourishment and water. These physical needs must be met immediately. Pests and parasites both literally and figuratively must be kept from growing children and plants. The young may not understand that allowing certain “bugs” to make themselves clingers on will hurt their development, sometimes preventing them from blossoming and bearing fruit entirely. One pest that is particularly annoying me this summer in the garden is the slug. Slugs just lay around, eat voraciously of my goodies and make a big stinky mess. The human version is not much better.
It seems difficult to give children and gardens enough tender loving care sometimes. It appears to be impossible to show them too much care. On the contrary, neglect is a frequent problem.
Sometimes my plants grow so fast that they find it difficult to stand up straight. Without my help they end up lying on the ground where they tend to be harmed or even destroyed by bugs and disease. If I take care of the issue soon enough by picking the plant up, cleaning it off and tying it to a stake, the plant will grow and thrive and produce.
They just aren’t always strong enough to handle life’s stresses, much like some leggy, gangly seedlings.
Similarly, our children sometimes face issues which make it difficult for them to stand up straight. They just aren’t always strong enough to handle life’s stresses, much like some leggy, gangly seedlings. If we notice the problem before too much harm is done that is very beneficial. We can then pick the child up, offer love and encouragement, help him to clean himself off and then ask him to remember the stake—-or cross—-upon which our Lord suffered for him. This thought of our Lord along with a prayer for his guidance will fortify our little seedling as he grows and blossoms.
